Lynn Bartels

Rocky Mountain News: Marking anniversary of its death four years ago today

Four years ago today, the Rocky Mountain News closed on the cusp of its 150th birthday. The changes in the Denver media scene since then have been profound. And while the Denver Post, the city's surviving paper, continues to exist, its present doesn't look much like the future that seemed in the off ... More >>

Kevin Vaughan, Denver Post city editor, leaving to join nonprofit I-News

Despite reassurances, questions continue to be raised about the financial health of the Denver Post following the bankruptcy of the Journal Register Company, sister firm of MediaNews Group, the Post's owner. But Post city editor Kevin Vaughan insists that sinking-ship fears had nothing to do with hi ... More >>

Romney ditches wildfire rally in Colorado Springs, is he a hypocrite?

Three Denver blogs to keep you dry on this Monday. Colorado Pols writes of Mitt Romney's "bling tour," and a possible visit to Colorado Springs after calling for cutbacks for firefighters: "The 'bling tour' press from the Hamptons this weekend wasn't great, and Aspen keeps that meme going -- but as ... More >>

Same-sex couples could get a belated valentine from Senate Judiciary committee

The Colorado Legislature has a date with cupid a day after Valentine's Day. At 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider the Colorado Civil Union Act in the old Supreme Court Chambers. The bill would provide same-sex couples the same legal protections and ben ... More >>

Here are your 2011 Denver #WebAwards news winners

​Here are the winners of the 2011 Denver #WebAwards in the category we're loosely dubbing "news," which means Westword scribes report on the happenings in these beats, right here on Latest Word. These are the winners only; for a complete list of finalists go here: "Here are your 2011 Denver #W ... More >>

2011 Denver #WebAwards winners announced!

Photos: 2011 Denver #WebAwards party

Michael Hancock's DIA greeting: Was our addition of a cracking whip offensive?

Michael Hancock.​Political correctness isn't an exact science. Congressman Doug Lamborn has been pilloried in some quarters for saying that being associated with Barack Obama is like touching a tar baby -- a term previously used by Westword writers, albeit in a non-racial context. But did West ... More >>

D-Backs continue to own the Rockies and Chloe gets more press

♫ It's Friday, Friday ♫ Problem, Denver?​Colorado Rockies blog Purple Row drills down into why the D-Backs have been bullying the Rockies for some time now: "Know Your Foe #34: Surprising D-Backs Hope to Continue Haunting Inconsistent Rockies." Thrillist has a bloggy take on the new loun ... More >>

Is the NFL labor mess almost cleaned up?

The most-hated man in the NFL?​There is a very good chance that we are in the final day of this entire labor mess. At least that's the news from Broncos blog Mile High Report. "What do you call your gay partner?" asks Lynn Bartels at The Spot by the Denver Post. Rick Perry to the Rescue? Not ... More >>

David Balmer's green thong and other wit and wisdom from Lynn Bartels's Twitter feed

Lynn Bartels.​Lynn Bartels's political reporting is a highlight of the Denver Post, in part because of the lively wit she often brings to her articles. And this quality is in even greater abundance on her Twitter feed, where she makes the state legislature seem like a fun and interesting place ... More >>

Viagra for convicted rapists?: Bizarre false claim gets anti-Ed Perlmutter ad yanked (VIDEO)

Ed Perlmutter.​Update: Leslie Oliver, campaign spokeswoman for Ed Perlmutter, says a recent attack ad inaccurately claiming that the 7th District congressman supported supplying Viagra to convicted rapists isn't the first time an outside group called the American Action Network has battered hi ... More >>

Dan Maes needs a job! Here's our list of the top five possible professions (other than governor)

Dan Maes.​Was Dan Maes offered a deal, maybe even a govement job, to drop out of the governor's race? The blogosphere was abuzz after the Post's Lynn Bartels broke the Maes story, wondering who might have made the offer. The bigger question: What job could you possibly give Dan Maes? Here are ... More >>

Dan Maes says he's staying in race despite bankruptcy revelation, alleged bribe to quit

Dan Maes.​Another week, another series of disasters for the Dan Maes campaign. First came photos of Maes collecting cash in a burlap bag, in apparent violation of campaign rules (but beyond the statute of limitations). Next? News that he'd filed for personal bankruptcy in 1989 -- the sort of i ... More >>

In the Colorado House, leaders must be followers

State representative Kathleen Curry has left the party.​You might think that the departure of a rising star among state Democrats would be a bigger deal than this Post story suggests, but state representative Kathleen Curry and party leaders seem eager to downplay Curry's decision to change he ... More >>

Will Parks and Rec get an earful about their plan to privatize La Alma rec center tonight?

La Alma Recreation Center​Tonight's Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting at 6 p.m. at La Alma Recreation Center, 1325 West 11th Avenue, has nothing to do with La Alma itself, at least according to the agenda. No, it's just the board's regular monthly meeting, at which members a ... More >>

Jon Caldara doesn't like being ignored, Mr. Ritter

Jon Caldara makes his feelings known.​Late Thursday afternoon, the Independence Institute, a right-leaning think tank, published an article revealing that only one of Governor Bill Ritter's cabinet members had filed a conflict-of-interest report despite an executive order requiring that everyo ... More >>

Tom Tancredo, Jane Norton -- and Sarah Palin?

Photo by John JohnstonTom Tancredo. Long may he wave.​In an article by ace Denver Post reporter Lynn Bartels, former Congressman Tom Tancredo unloads on fellow Republican (and former Colorado Lieutenant Governor) Jane Norton, saying the only reason she'll be announcing a Senate run later today ... More >>

A personhood amendment by any other name....

Kristi Burton.​Remember the Personhood Amendment? Promoted as the brainchild of then-21-year-old Kristi Burton, the subject of a Westword profile, the measure would have established that a human's life begins at the moment of fertilization -- and despite a big effort on its behalf by abortion ... More >>

Lynn Bartels adds Brandon Shaffer's scalp to her collection

Lynn Bartels. "Senate to Repay Funds" reads the headline atop the Denver & the West section in this morning's Denver Post -- and there's little doubt Senate President Brandon Shaffer didn't enjoy seeing it. On the very day Shaffer was ostensibly the most powerful elected official in the state (beca ... More >>

The Westword.com blog shortcut, June 18 edition

Mike Honcho. He's spinning in a better place.... Today in Backbeat Online: • RIP Mike Honcho. • Everything is ridiculous at the Air Guitar Championship. • Kid Cudi remixes 3OH!3. • Q&A with the Church's Marty Wilson-Piper. • Q&A with Adam Franklin of Swervedriver. • See the Epilogues f ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: King for a day

Both Governor Bill Ritter and Lieutenant Governor Barbara O'Brien were out of town yesterday (he to the Western Governors' Association meeting in Utah, she to an education confab in North Carolina). And who did that leave in charge? By the Colorado Constitution, the State Senate President. But Br ... More >>

Former Rocky Mountain News reporter Gargi Chakrabarty leaving Denver Post

Gargi Chakrabarty, left, at a DU awards ceremony last year. When the Rocky Mountain News went down for the count in February, the Denver Post brought aboard a slew of the tabloid's brand names: Mike Littwin, Dave Krieger, Lynn Bartels, Kevin Vaughan, etc. In addition, the paper also reached out to ... More >>

In-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants and shifting political tides

John Andrews. Don't miss "Past Immigrant Tuition Bill Won Votes from GOP," an article by the Denver Post's Lynn Bartels that neatly captures the absurdity over the politics of illegal immigration in this state. Bartels points out that "five years ago, a Republican-controlled Senate approved an amen ... More >>

Major behind-the-scenes shuffling at the Denver Post

Photo courtesy of Flickr. The just-published blog "Former Enemies Penny Parker and Bill Husted Finding Ways to Co-Exist at the Denver Post" describes the intriguing repercussions of changes at the broadsheet since the closure of the Rocky Mountain News -- and plenty more are on the way. Earlier tod ... More >>

Ex-Rocky Mountain Newser Tracy Ringolsby carrying on -- after being stranded by Scripps

Tracy Ringolsby. Lots of folks expected that Hall of Fame baseball writer Tracy Ringolsby would be among the former Rocky Mountain News journalists who'd find a new home at the Denver Post, including us. He was one of the five Rocky stars we thought might soon be moving from one floor of the Denver ... More >>

More scenarios in which Dave Schultheis might not intervene to protect babies

Dave Schultheis. State senator Dave Schultheis, a Colorado Springs Republican, has long been an expert at saying things that slacken jaws -- but he truly outdid himself yesterday, when he spoke out against legislation that would require pregnant women to receive HIV tests in order to prevent their ... More >>

Denver Post to add Rocky Mountain News voices

Photo by Anthony Camera.Kevin Vaughan, a Rocky reporter who'll soon be writing for the Denver Post. Almost two months ago, Michael Roberts offered an all-star list of five Rocky Mountain News staffers that he suggested the Denver Post hire should the News shut down.Now, with the News's last day tom ... More >>

Highlights from the goodbye-to-the-Rocky Mountain News press conference

J. KnightE.W. Scripps CEO Rich Boehne addresses the media after announcing the Rocky would close after Friday's issue. Reporter Lynn Bartels's colleagues at the Rocky Mountain News warned her not to try exiting the Denver Newspaper Agency building through the main lobby. After all, the place was sw ... More >>

Ethics scandal in Colorado House not exactly in Blagojevich territory

In today's Rocky Mountain News, Lynn Bartels demonstrates once again why she made our list of the five journalists who the Denver Post should poach first in the event of a Rocky closure -- a sidebar to the feature article headlined "The Rocky Mountain News is Going Down." In her piece "Ethics Charg ... More >>

Looking at and listening to staff attempts to save the Rocky Mountain News

The staffers at the Rocky Mountain News may not be in power positions when it comes to saving the paper, which was recently put up for sale by its parent company, E.W. Scripps. (Read our coverage in the feature article "The Rocky Mountain News is Going Down" and two sidebars, "Five Rocky Stars Who ... More >>

Five Rocky stars who could be going up

Early reaction to news that the Rocky Mountain News has been put up for sale

In the hours since the development spotlighted in today's blog "Rocky Mountain News Put Up For Sale" first broke, I've had the chance to speak with numerous staffers at the paper. The majority chose to talk on background, and with only a couple of exceptions, they had similar reactions to the pres ... More >>

Were Democrats dumb enough to write this "idiot" memo?

Dick Wadhams Manipulates the Media With His "Ass"

Dick Wadhams Manipulates the Media With His "Ass"

Delegating Denver #46 of 56: South Dakota

A Denver Daily Wouldn't Touch Michael Garcia

The Rocky balked at printing a salacious story from an anonymous source. The Post and a political website didn't. Who was right?

The 2007 Hall of Shame

It's one thing to embarrass yourself. It's quite another to take an entire city with you.

More Messages: Fryar's Club

More Messages: Winning the Name Game

The Message

Taking a Leak

The Message

News directors debate what is, and isn't, breaking news.

Minor Threat

Libertarian candidates would rather not use stunts to get media attention -- but they will if they have to.

Post Mortem

An unpublished column helps wrap up Chuck Green's story at the Denver Post.

Letters to the Editor

From the week of April 12, 2001

Best Insult of the Denver Post in the Rocky Mountain News

Written by Lynn Bartels

The Wrong Stuff

A mislabeled photo, an error-filled column, a missing attribution: The Post is on a hot streak.

Best print reporter vs. print reporter feud, second place

Lynn Bartels vs. Mark Obmascik

¿Qué Pasó, Denver?

Despite a potentially huge audience, Denver's Spanish-language radio languishes.

Hate State Sets New Record: 365 Days of Rage!